ABCmouse is one of only 8 products worldwide with KidSAFE COPPA certification. But its 79% Common Sense Privacy score raises questions. Here is what parents and teachers need to know.
ABCmouse (by Age of Learning) is one of the most popular early learning apps in the U.S., used by over 45 million families. It holds KidSAFE +COPPA CERTIFIED and SAFE CERTIFIED seals, making it one of only 8 products worldwide with formal KidSAFE certification as of March 2026.
That certification means ABCmouse has been independently reviewed by an FTC-approved COPPA Safe Harbor program and verified to comply with federal children's privacy rules. Child accounts see no advertisements, children's data is not used for marketing or behavioral targeting, and the app provides a contained environment with no external links or social features.
However, ABCmouse received a 79% “Warning” rating from Common Sense Privacy. The reason is not how it treats children's data — those protections are strong — but how it handles adult user data. ABCmouse shares information about parent and teacher accounts with third-party advertising networks for interest-based advertising on non-child-directed portions of the service.
ABCmouse costs $14.99/month or $59.99/year (introductory annual rate of $45), with a 30-day free trial and up to 3 child profiles per subscription. It covers reading, math, science, and art across 10,000+ learning activities for ages 2–8.
Below we rank ABCmouse alongside 7 other COPPA-compliant alternatives, so parents and teachers can make an informed choice based on both educational value and privacy protections.
ABCmouse offers a full early learning curriculum with thousands of activities for children ages 2-8.
Khan Academy Kids offers free, comprehensive early learning content covering reading, math, and more for children ages 2-8.
Starfall teaches reading through systematic phonics with engaging activities for Pre-K through 5th grade.
IXL is a comprehensive adaptive learning platform covering all subjects from Pre-K through 12th grade.
HOMER creates personalized reading journeys for children ages 2-8 based on their interests and skill level.
ABCya offers educational games for Pre-K through 6th grade across all subjects. Free with ads, or pay for ad-free premium access.
Duolingo ABC teaches phonics and early reading skills through interactive lessons for children ages 3-8.
Yes. ABCmouse holds KidSAFE +COPPA CERTIFIED and SAFE CERTIFIED seals, which means it has been independently reviewed and verified to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The KidSAFE Seal Program is an FTC-approved COPPA Safe Harbor, giving ABCmouse a formal layer of regulatory protection. ABCmouse has maintained this certification since 2021.
ABCmouse collects a child's first name, birth month and year, and learning activity data (progress, scores, time spent) to personalize the experience. It does not collect email addresses, phone numbers, or physical addresses from children. Account registration requires a parent's email and payment information, which is associated with the adult account, not the child profile.
ABCmouse is generally considered safe for children. It serves no advertisements to child accounts, uses no behavioral advertising on children's data, and provides a contained environment with no external links or social features. The app has earned a Mom's Choice Gold Award, Teachers' Choice Award, and Parents' Choice GOLD Award. However, parents should be aware that ABCmouse's parent-facing portions do use third-party advertising and data sharing.
No. ABCmouse does not sell data collected from child accounts and does not use children's data for marketing or targeted advertising. However, ABCmouse does collect and share data about adult users (parents and teachers) with advertising partners for interest-based advertising on non-child-directed portions of the service. This adult data practice is the primary reason ABCmouse received a 79% "Warning" rating from Common Sense Privacy rather than a passing score.
Yes. ABCmouse holds two KidSAFE seals: +COPPA CERTIFIED (verifying compliance with COPPA and kidSAFE's safety best practices) and SAFE CERTIFIED (verifying adherence to kidSAFE's online safety best practices). ABCmouse has been a KidSAFE member since 2021, and only 8 products worldwide currently hold KidSAFE certification.
Khan Academy Kids and Starfall are the most privacy-conscious alternatives. Both are nonprofit-backed, completely free, and collect minimal to zero data from children. Khan Academy Kids covers reading, math, and social-emotional learning with no ads or subscriptions. Starfall has been called the website that "respects children's privacy better than" any other by the Wall Street Journal. For math specifically, Prodigy holds iKeepSafe COPPA + FERPA certification with a 92% Common Sense Privacy score.
ABCmouse's 79% score and "Warning" rating from Common Sense Privacy is primarily due to its adult user data practices, not how it handles children's data. ABCmouse shares data about parent and teacher accounts with third-party advertising networks for interest-based advertising. The child-facing portions of the service are well-protected with no ads and no behavioral targeting, but Common Sense evaluates the entire service, including adult-facing sections.
ABCmouse costs $14.99 per month or $59.99 per year (introductory annual rate of $45). A 30-day free trial is available. Each subscription supports up to 3 child profiles. For schools and classrooms, ABCmouse offers institutional pricing through Age of Learning. Free alternatives like Khan Academy Kids and Starfall offer similar early learning content with stronger privacy practices.
ABCmouse is COPPA compliant and holds legitimate KidSAFE certification. For the child-facing experience, it is one of the safest commercial learning apps available: no ads, no behavioral targeting, no external links. Parents can feel confident that their child's data is protected while using the app.
The 79% Common Sense Privacy score reflects a real concern, but it is about adult data practices, not children's data. Parents who create accounts should be aware that their own browsing and registration data may be shared with advertising partners. Using a dedicated email address for the subscription is a simple precaution.
For families who want the strongest possible privacy, Khan Academy Kids and Starfall are the best free alternatives — both are nonprofit-backed, ad-free, and collect minimal to zero data. For math specifically, Prodigy leads with a 92% Common Sense Privacy score and iKeepSafe COPPA + FERPA certification.
With the April 2026 COPPA compliance deadline approaching under the updated FTC rule, schools should verify that every app in their edtech stack holds formal certification or has a signed Data Privacy Agreement. ABCmouse's KidSAFE seals place it in the top tier for regulatory compliance.
Looking for a privacy-conscious spelling app? SpellingJoy is 100% free, does not collect personal information from children without consent, serves no advertising, and gives teachers full control through a classroom dashboard. Try SpellingJoy free today.
About the Author
SpellingJoy Team
The SpellingJoy team is dedicated to creating free, high-quality spelling resources for K-6 students and their families. We test every app we review and provide honest assessments to help parents make informed decisions.